Ink jet printers, as known in the computer printing art, have replaceable ink cartridges. These cartridges are capable of containing large volumes of ink necessary for covering many receivers which can be sheets of 81/2 by 11 inch paper. These cartridges are not suitable for inclusion in a digital camera as they are far too large. Examples of such cartridges are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,155,502 to Kimura et al. and 5,619,237 to Inoue et al. Additionally, commercially available ink jet printers have a receiver supply that is independent of the ink supply thus allowing a user to change receivers depending on the type of output being performed at the computer to which it is connected. Typical computer usage dictates primarily monochrome (black) ink on a white receiver. Only infrequently does a user need photographic quality receiver and the printer accommodates this by the inclusion of software which permits the user to specify via the computer the receiver type installed.
This system, however well suited to the computer desktop environment, has many inherent and undesirable limitations when applied to a small, portable consumer device such as a digital camera that prints its own pictures. First and most obvious is the complexity of having to load both an ink cartridge in one location and also a supply of receivers. Furthermore, cameras don't typically have interface means and software to input a user's change in receivers. Additionally, undesirable prints can be created by the wrong combination of ink and receivers which places an unnecessary burden on the user.